essay

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 ~ (on sth) a short piece of writing by a student as part of a course of study: an essay on the causes of the First World War 2 ~ (on sth) a short piece of writing on a particular subject, written in order to be published: The book contains a number of interesting essays on women in society. 3 ~ (in sth) (formal) an attempt to do sth: His first essay in politics was a complete disaster. verb [VN] (literary) to try to do sth